MINSK, Belarus — The Belarusian opposition is withdrawing its candidates from this weekend's parliamentary election.

The
country's election commission confirmed on Monday that the United Civic
Party and the Belarusian National Front have removed the names of their
candidates.

The election is slated for Sunday but early voting
starts on Tuesday, and people are allowed to vote early without giving
any reason for it. Ballot boxes stand unguarded at polling stations for
days, which observers have long described as an immense source for
violations.

Western observers have decried all recent elections in Belarus as undemocratic.

The two parties' withdrawal leaves only a handful of opposition candidates.

Belarus' parliament is dominated by President Alexander Lukashenko's loyalists who normally run as unaffiliated candidates.

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